Thierno Alassane Diack, Executive Director Olympafrica Foundation to visit Ghana

Under the guidance of ACNOA, Olympafrica International Foundation is responsible for the outreach component of the African Olympic Movement on the ground.

It affords African youths a platform and the means to better their education, get special training in entrepreneurship, etc. There are 48 Olympafrica centres spread across Africa.

Ghana was taken out, but was admitted back into the OlympAfrica Foundation through the efforts of Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) President Ben Nunoo Mensah, and will now receive all financial benefits to develop youth sports in the country.

Ghana lost her membership in 2005 after issues of mismanagement was cited against the GOC in that era.

But according to the Executive Director of the OlympAfrica Foundation, Mr. Alassane Thierno Diack, who is coming to Accra, fresh and current development means Ghana will begin to receive funds to complete the abandoned OlympAfrica Sports Complex situated at Amasaman.

“The Centre for Juvenile Sports Excellence should have been completed by 2021, but due to processing of land title deeds and other documents there has been in the delay for the project to begin” said Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah.

However, Mr Diack expects an open facility accessible to all especially children.

Such facilities meant for children, he said, needed to be open, hence a new design which has the identity and is in line with the cost of the project approved.

The intention is to give children of Amasaman and surrounding area a community centre to train and exhibit their talents and also participate in school sports.

Improvements had been made to the project with consent of the Ben Nunoo Mensah administration and funds would be made available for beginning and completion of the project.

According to Mr. Alassane Thierno Diack, the mandate of OlympAfrica, is to use sports as a tool for development, focusing on training kids between the ages of three and 13 years to not only become professionals in sports, but to appreciate life as a whole.

President of the GOC, Ben Nunoo Mensah conveyed his appreciation to the OlympAfrica chief for restoring Ghana to the foundation adding that, they would do well to ensure that funds that would be provided for the project would be put to good use.

He thanked OlympAfrica for considering to make funds available for a multipurpose court to be completed, while they wait for the completion of the entire project.

The OlympAfrica Project in Ghana would be managed by a board of Trustees who are GOC Executive Board Members led by Deputy Treasurer Mr. Isaac Aboagye Duah who is President of Ghana Tennis Federation, Mr. Michael Aggrey President of Ghana Golf Association, Mr. Hayye Yartey President of the Ghana BodyBuilding and Fitness Federation. Rev. E.D. Nikoi President of the Ghana Netball Association and Mr Odi Ahenkan Kwame Yeboah, an influential member of the community who also works with the Despite Media Group.

By Sammy Heywood Okine